THIS WEEKEND

September 27, 2013

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We're spending the weekend in North Carolina. My big brother is getting married! We're happy to get away for a while and break up our normal routine. The past two weeks haven't been stellar so this is pretty awesome for us.

While we enjoy family and the cooler weather - my sister has crunchy leaves scattered across her backyard(!) - I hope you all have a great weekend!

PS. Have you seen the new Fox TV show Sleepy Hollow? They are currently filming in my hometown! It's pretty cool to see all the trucks and lighting crews around. The town has a serious background in all things creepy. I grew up hearing all about ghost stories and the witches that used to roam the town. So, it's the perfect backdrop for the show. Today, they are filming in a local cemetery but recently they filmed at this venue which also happens to be where my brother's wedding is being held tomorrow. And, I had my bridal portraits taken there a few years ago. 

If you watch the second episode of the show, you can catch some of the scenes that were filmed here!

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LATELY

September 24, 2013

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It's been a little quiet around the blog front as I've been dealing with doctor appointments and tests along with our everyday things. When our real life looks like a behind the scenes mess, inspiration for the blog - or anything, really - doesn't exactly flow out of me.

Today is the first day in almost two weeks that I've felt like maybe "normal" is out there again. I plan on seeing a specialist this week so fingers crossed for some anwsers or a miracle cure(!). But for today, I cleaned the kitchen and showered so I'm calling it a win.

Life lately has looked a lot like this...

Peanut butter sandwiches. A lot of them. Of the dinosaur and pumpkin variety.
So many crafts and projects coming home with L from preschool.
And I live for the moments where she tells me how her day was.
Our dachshund, Toby, turns six today! We celebrated with a trip to the treat bar at Petco.
Putting together a wedding gift for my brother.
Finding a perfect little pumpkin at the grocery store.
And talking to the lobsters while we were there.
Clearing out old things we don't use anymore and finding them new homes.
Slowly pulling out some Fall decor and cozying up the house.
And, mountains of laundry.

Fall is official and the weather is cooling down here. Chilly mornings are the best kind of morning and I'm pretty happy to partake in them. We're gearing up for a really busy week with a wedding in North Carolina and a family trip to New York. I've got all kinds of things I want to do in that gorgeous city that has stolen my heart, but especially an afternoon in Central Park. With a blanket and a picnic, maybe?

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THIRTY-EIGHT | FIFTY-TWO

September 22, 2013

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38/52 - She's looking more and more like a teenager these days. When did her hair get so long?

I'm doing this series - a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013. Link up & find more from this project here.
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SHE'S A DREAMER AND IT'S THE BEST

September 19, 2013

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Lia is a "dress-up and play pretend" kind of kid. She's got a basket stuffed full of firemen hats, princess dresses, doctor supplies, magic wands, a tutu, and a few random halloween costumes. And today we added a dinosaur tail. Because every toddler wants to be a dinosaur right?

I love catching her in play. She's an introvert and she seems to play best when she's alone. She creates these stories and games with her toys and dolls. A wooden register becomes a cell phone or a computer. Puzzle boards become new registers and the pieces turn into money. Minions fall in love with dolls. And when she isn't playing with toys, she creates imaginary situations like a fire in the dining room and she becomes a fire fighting hero keeping her fire hose hooked to the sofa and pulling a pretend ladder down from the ceiling.

Part of me feels a little sneaky when I watch her because I know she is shy, but mostly I'm just captured by the world her mind has created.

And I really want to bottle up some of the magic so she never forgets how incredible being a kid is. How incredible she is.


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REAL MESSY LIFE

September 18, 2013

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Yesterday was one of those kind of "in the trenches" days. It was just messy and all too real. The dishes were piled up in the sink and across the counters and stove to boot. There's a pile of things growing up the stairs. And I'm pretty sure you can guess what the current state of laundry is. 

It was hard. It's been a hard week and I'm not proud of it. I yelled at L more times than I like to admit and I probably threatened to take away every thing important to her. I even told her she can't go to ballet class today. And as much as that kills me, I know I have to go through. She's seriously an amazing kid but we're struggling to get her to listen when she should and follow instructions. 

And my current health issue is making this all pile up into something more than it should. I started having problems breathing Friday night and it hasn't gotten any better. The best I can explain it is that it feels like someone is sitting on my chest and I'm breathing through a small tube. It just doesn't feel right. The doctor ran some tests on Monday and prescribed something for what he "thought" the problem might be. I've been on the medication since yesterday and at times I feel worse. Breathing is becoming a struggle. I can't even read a book to L without stopping to catch my breath and that breaks my heart. Now I'm trying to figure out if the meds are hurting me more than they are helping. I don't like the side effects I seem to be getting from them and I'm not breathing any easier. 

BUT...I am breathing and alive and my awesome husband took the day off to tag-team with the parenting. And the cleaning, because he's just great. I'm making up a batch of applesauce, it's cool outside and I've got a few episodes of Glee I can catch up on so today is brighter than yesterday and that's all I can really ask for.

Happy Wednesday, you guys!

PS - I took this picture the other day while L was drawing. Her mini masterpieces are one the of best things from this season of toddlerhood we're in. 

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THIRTY-SIX, THIRTY-SEVEN | FIFTY-TWO

September 15, 2013

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36/52 - A Saturday afternoon nap.
37/52 - We ducked into an alley to snap a few quick pictures but all the people walking in and out of it made L pretty unsure of the whole thing. Cue the awkward smile.
  
I'm doing this series - a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013. Link up & find more from this project here.
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THE WEEKLY

September 13, 2013

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I'm happy to see September has arrived! While the temps haven't cooled down much here, the lovebugs are out and that can only mean that Fall is coming. I am a Fall kinda girl. Give me chilly days, bowls full of hot soup & chili, trips to the apple orchand and a stack of Meg Ryan movies and you've pretty much made my life. I'm counting down the days until our next trip to New York. There's no better place to be in the Fall than New York.

This week was quite the week and I'm ready to take a breather this weekend. Lia is recovering from her ear infection and nothing makes me a happier mama than my bug feeling better. And M started another class this week and has been working non-stop hours so we're doing our best to soak up the few minutes we get with each other late at night.

My little sister is coming down for a visit this weekend and we're thrilled to finally show her our new house and squeeze in some sister time! I've been busy doing laundry and dishes. It's funny show doing mundane chores doesn't seem so horrible when it's for such a good cause.

Making me happy this week and some links to love:
Fresh flowers. I buy the cheap grocery store bunches and split them up so I can get a little dose of something pretty all over the house.
Parenthood returns in two weeks!
The refrigerator is brimming with school work and art projects L brings home from school. It makes my heart skip a beat to see how happy she is with what she is doing!
We are the 15 percent.
This blogger is inspiring me to give our bed a cheery little makeover. We happen to have this same one in black. I am thinking a minty green would be the perfect pop of color.
I'm a big fan of Stefon from the SNL skits. I'm excited for the new season but bummed about the amazing cast members that left the show last season.
Also, we've got two large cardboard boxes leftover from our new barstools and they are sitting pretty lonely in the dining room. I'd love to turn them into something like a washing machine or these cardboard playhouses!

Have a great weekend!








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MONDAY YOU WIN

September 9, 2013

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I rarely have "a case of the Mondays". I like the idea of a fresh week and for now, L doesn't have school on Mondays so it's usually a good day for us. I guess Monday just wanted to keep things in check.
 
So, the dog thought it would be fun to sleep in one of my favorite shirts. I'm sure he slept good but then he got stuck and I had to cut it off him. Now I'm wearing it with no sleeves and feeling pretty sad about it. I look like a lumber jack. I mean, really. This happens?.

Then L's cough turned into other things and now she has her first ear infection. Which led to a really long wait for her prescription at Target. And I'm usually pretty tally-ho having to spend an afternoon there. But when your toddler feels miserable, I'm all tally-NO. Also, she was up seven times (7!) last night and threw up all over the kitchen floor this morning.

Turns out, the day had a sweet ending. M took us out for dinner. If he let me cook, I can pretty much assure you it wouldn't have been edible. I can only do one thing when I'm scatterbrained - be scatterbrained. And we finished up another small project for the house. So, I'm chalking it up to a "glad it's over" day and keeping my fingers crossed we can all sleep through the night.


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AROUND THE HOUSE

September 6, 2013

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When we decided to buy a house here, we ultimately decided to go with building a new house in a relatively-new, growing neighborhood. What it lacks in charm and personality, we gained in a loft and extra space and a substantial-sized backyard. But, it's still got a builder stamp on it. And since we are waiting to paint the walls, I've resorted to stalking my favorite Pinterest boards for ideas and easy DIY plans and hunting bargains down at my favorite stores and local thrift shops.

Some days, I wish we would have hunted around for the perfect, "older" home that's dripping with charm (and preferably some built-ins) but realistically, the town we live in is growing and new neighborhoods are popping up. There are plenty of golf courses and over-priced homes styled to look like older, charming homes but short of the historic houses downtown, I don't think we would have found what we wanted.

So we bought a house that is gray and covered with bricks and I'm working on getting some ivy to grow along the side. The charm oozes in places, for sure. But with neutral walls, builder grade light fixtures and more space than we have furniture, some parts of the house don't represent who we are as a family or our lifestyle.

L's bathroom is the room I most recently put our touch on. I'm sure it won't stay exactly like this, but it has good bones now. I still need a rug and curtain hooks. And I've got a couple more small projects for the room but doesn't it feel so good when things start coming together?

details | shower curtain/world market (clearance buy that isn't available online), basket, carpe diem print, "bathroom" prints, black frames / ribba line from Ikea, painted can DIY idea here.


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A WEEKEND IN NORTH CAROLINA

September 5, 2013

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I don't know why it took me so long to post this but earlier this summer we took a weekend trip to North Carolina to see my family. It was a short trip and other than a quick family portrait session we did ourselves, we really only had one day to hang out.

My parents still live in the town where I was born and raised. A small, historical town on the east coast. Since brick walls and little shops clustered together pretty much do it for me, we spent the afternoon wandering around. We popped into a few shops, played in the park and watched some of the annual boat races.

There's something about hometowns. Part of me honestly doesn't like the place. I feel like I didn't come into my own until I left there and saw other places and had different experiences. So, when I go back, it's almost hard not to feel like the person that lived here. But then, it's home. Even if I left my heart in New York and now I don't live in either state, home is always home.


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A FEW WEEKS OF PROJECT FIFTY-TWO

September 4, 2013

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32/52 - It was preschool orientation morning. I'm not quite sure how almost a month of preschool has passed us by now.
33/52 - Toddlers are pretty humorous.
34/52 - Our days is usually full of anything pink and dress-up. And princesses and knights.
35/52 - Ballet! This stage of parenthood can be seriously fun. And hard. But, fun!

I'm doing this series - a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2013. Link up & find more from this project here.

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THE WEEKLY

September 3, 2013

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I have to say, since September is here and all, I'm pretty excited. And once again, I'm reminded that there's nowhere like New York in the Fall and I'm nowhere near New York. What's a girl gonna do?

I turned twenty-seven last week. Most of the weekend was ran by one hell of a cranky toddler, albeit there were some sweet moments to be had. Including a donut cake and yellow barstools. You guys, yellow. I don't know, it's a thing or something with me. Also, I found the most perfect black cocktail dress for my brother's wedding later this month. Let's just not talk about how much it costs. 
Other things: Today feels like Monday. A yogurt mishap ended up with an afternoon bubble bath. Ballet and preschool are still big hits around here. My little sister is visiting us next week! Halloween stuff is hitting the shelves and despite the humidity, some definition of Fall is coming. That paired with knowing Parenthood starts this month has me feeling good.

This song is what's been playing today.
Some truth about happiness and feeling whole.
I've been obsessed with weekender bags for a while. You know, for all those weekend trips we take. side eyes. But really, I want one. Preferably one of these design it yourself types. Did you see the one M made me?
A DIY on my list.

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It's still all good.




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